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The Caverns
The dark of the cavern swallows me immediately as I step over the threshold. The air stinks in here, a vile combination of decay, brine and something far more wicked. My breath frosts in the air as I follow the bone tunnel up a slight slope. It opens into a rough chamber of smooth, water-polished rocks, covered in wet sand. A powerful feeling of menace hangs in the gloom, for whatever lurks in the this place does not want visitors. The tunnels twist and turn as I make my way slowly along. I'm afforded scant light, which seeps in through small cracks in the ceiling. My guttering torch does little to stave off the darkness, which sighs around me like a living thing. There are other things in here with me as well, I hear them scuttling and clattering out in the shadows beyond the reach of my torchlight. They are no doubt gathering their bestial courage, waiting for the right moment to pounce. That moment comes a short while later, just as the entry tunnel has slipped out of sight. I hear them coming before I see them, and by the time they draw near, I'm completely surrounded. My torch reveals dozens of huge spiders, covered in green algae. The nasty creatures scamper towards me, their fangs clicking, practically climbing over each other in their hunger. I meet their charge with the only thing I truly know, armed resistance. My blade is out, flashing in the torchlight, hacking and hewing, splashing my armor and the cave walls with green ichor. I'm dealt a few painful bites during the melee, but I give much worse. I kick my way through a pile of hairy, dripping corpses, and continue the journey. For another hour, I meander through the labyrinth of tunnels, nursing the faint flame of my torch, and killing the occasional Shield Crab or Siren that besets me. The enemies in here are tough, but they lack the numbers I've faced outdoors. It's almost as if they share my fear of the darkness, as if something is driving them away. Whatever that something may be, I will face it soon. I finally find a break in the tunnel wall, a water-worn passageway leading upward, and I've no real choice but to ascend. A short way up, the tunnel opens into yet another series of caves, these ones blacker and colder than the ones I just escaped. The floor of the cave rises up in rocky outcroppings, a perfect vantage point for a big population of the cursed Spitters. They bombard me mercilessly as I blunder along, swearing in the dark. They're joined by roving groups of Spectral Corsairs, who attack with relentless ferocity. Time and time again I beat back my foes, will there ever be an end to them? As the hours drag on, my addled mind grows as exhausted as my sword arm. I begin to hear actual voices in the inky blackness, and a few times I catch a glimpse of an ethereal, fleeting figure, seeming to beckon to me. I start to hear words in the whispers, the voice sometimes female, sometimes male. "Come find me" it says, as I turn quickly towards the blackness. "I wait for you, lover". The words are confusing and maddening, what could they possibly mean? I have also begun to hear a quiet singing again, a different voice this time, drifting down from some high place. It is soft at first, barely audible, but it begins to rise as I draw nearer. The wordless melody is filled with palpable longing, with profound sorrow. I find my eyes welling with tears, despite all efforts to steel my heart. What miserable creature sings this song, so deep inside the earth? Ultimately, it mattes little. When I find the tunnel leading upwards to the voice, I ascend immediately. Category:The World Category:Act 1